McGregor:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I earned a master’s degree in Education Leadership from Midwest in May 2006. It was my second master’s in Education. I earned my first master’s in Education at another university. My first master’s was basically to get my license to teach. For my second master’s I was interested in learning how to put the theory into action. I was also interested in preparing to become a principal or school leader.

Currently, I teach history in an outreach program called Team Delta. I teach 93 high school kids who have not been successful in the past two years. I teach in a team type program that endeavors to help the kids adapt to high school life. The program is at Fairmont High School, and we’ve been around for almost four years.

I’m also retired military – I was in the Air Force for 20 years. ^Top

Why did you choose McGregor?

Well, there were a couple of reasons. The first was that a friend of mine – a friend of mine whom I really respect – graduated from Midwest and talked to me about the experience of graduating from Midwest and the classes and the staff. And she just kept talking about how wonderful the staff was and how they approach education.

I went to a very conservative school for my first degree. The master’s I earned before was pretty much go, sit down, and take the test. And I think I wanted a different experience. The other college certainly gave me a good basis of knowledge to start from. But, to be honest, I don’t think I “mastered” anything. At McGregor, the approach of the instructors is so refreshing. The focus is not on passing the test. The focus is on mastering the material.

So, I think the biggest part was what I had already gone through. When I was in the military, I was used to it – just sitting down and taking the test.  When you’re paying for the degree it’s not a bad idea to explore and find out if there’s another way – other ways of learning, other ways of exploring the subject matter.

McGregor was also convenient for me, so it was going to be a little easier and a little faster to get done what I wanted to get done. And my boss suggested that it might be a good idea.

Let me see. I really, really liked the place. It’s a place of freedom to learn. Because you are not locked down with the whole testing thing. At first I thought “How does that work? How is that possible?” I was in the Air Force for 20 years. I used to run tactical teams, you know, the grade is everything. How good are you if you can’t measure it? It’s covered. That really is covered with the merit of this stuff.

I found this to be a really great place of learning. It’s just opened worlds up for me. Before, I think I was anchored to the grade and trying to make the grade. If you are focused on the grade then you are not really focused on getting the learning done. ^Top

How did Midwest help you professionally?

It’s quality. What I learned at Midwest has helped me in the classroom. It’s actually helping me with the entire community and the school itself.

McGregor really helped me become more of a collaborative type person. It augmented stuff that I learned in the military – learning how to deal with teams and working with people, and applying it in the education career field.

McGregor gave me a different perspective on the whole concept of education, which I very much appreciate. ^Top

Did you have an ‘Aha Moment’ at McGregor?

Yeah. Daily.

It was Tom Bordenkircher’s class. Tom Bordenkircher is probably one of the best professors I’ve ever seen in action – he’s just a fantastic man. He’s got a good grasp on comedy that grabs your attention. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He takes his subject matter seriously. And that is beautiful.

You know, some instructors are into giving out all the terms and showing how much they know. Tom is more interested in making sure that you are there with him when you’re learning.

It’s just not Tom. Jim Allen and Zak Sharif – these guys were just pivotal. We would talk and communicate. I worked harder for them than I did anywhere else. And I often wondered why. I think it’s because instead of worrying about having a test and getting a book read, I was worrying about my own application later on in life. You start looking around at how you’re going to apply these new skills that you learned.

I think it’s really important how these instructors put it in your mind that it’s not the book. It’s how you apply what you’ve learned in your own life because it’s so unique for every teacher, for every administrator. And so when you’re there, it’s like you’re getting a personalized education.

They are extremely professional at McGregor, but it is also personable. I go back to Midwest because I felt a relationship there. I actually go back for information, I go back for clarification, I go back for ideas. I find ideas often. They are so open to extending their thinking and extending their learning as well.

It was not the scenario where the professor walks in and imparts the knowledge and I walk away happy. Not at all. It was not just “Here’s your master’s and good luck with life.” ^Top

What advice would you give to a new student?

Well first of all, I'm quite a conservative person who retired from the military. So, the first thing is that you have to overcome yourself, so to speak, in order to walk into this arena. It’s not what you think it is. Don’t prejudge the whole system. You know, Yellow Springs, Ohio, kind of conjures up ideas.

At first I said, “I’m not going to Yellow Springs. No way. I’m not going to go out there.” And in reality, I have found it to be one of my favorite places on the planet. So you’ve got to overcome yourself first.

It is about you when you go there. And if you want to get something that’s going to apply directly to your life, here is where you get it. I think every single class I took was mentally challenging, but it was because I challenged myself. I found it refreshing and I found it to be hard work because it was what I put myself up to do.

So, prepare yourself. Prepare yourself for classes. You are going to get what you put into it. This is not a place to walk in and kind of go through the motions. You could do that anywhere. Don’t do that.

At McGregor, when you go, you had better have already read the book if you really want to get anything out of it. At McGregor, it’s beyond the book. It’s how you are going to apply these theories, these models that they present to you.

I think you should walk in with the idea that I’m going to get my money’s worth. I’m going to walk in there and get what I need from this group of professionals.

And so you need to prepare yourself – having done the work, having done the thinking, having done the application in your own life – first. And then, the learning and application is just exponential when you get there.

And the whole group at McGregor, the staff, they are all working professionals as well. They completely understand your situation. They are extremely equitable and fair. ^Top